Destanee Aiava to Retire from Tennis in 2026

Australian tennis player Destanee Aiava announced on Saturday that she will retire from professional tennis at the end of 2026, sharing an emotional Instagram post that detailed her sacrifices for the sport and sharply criticized its underlying culture.

The 25-year-old from Melbourne, who turns 26 this year, described tennis as a "toxic boyfriend" that dominated her life from her first lesson at Casey Tennis Club. Aiava reflected on a pivotal moment at age 17, when she felt on the cusp of a breakthrough but was derailed by trusting the wrong people, altering her career trajectory. "From the moment I had my first lesson at Casey Tennis Club, my entire life was tennis," she wrote. "I often wondered what my life would have looked like if I'd chosen anything else and whether everything I sacrificed for this sport was actually worth the cost."

Aiava reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 147 in 2017 and has won 10 ITF singles titles, with her most recent victory at the Brisbane QTC Tennis International in November 2024. She also secured a WTA 125 doubles title in Birmingham last year alongside Cristina Bucșa and holds a career-high doubles ranking of No. 147. As the youngest...